


Unspoken

by Lxie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Getting Together, I did my best, M/M, birthday fic, brief mention of space wolf, reference to guardians of the galaxy 2, s6 canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 13:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15607110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lxie/pseuds/Lxie
Summary: “Well,” Lance hedged, “I think…we never talked.”Keith bit his lip and turned to face him, brows creased in concentration and arms crossed. “What was there to talk about?”“I’m not sure… a lot of stuff?” He could feel Keith’s gaze on him, watching him so intently that Lance was sure he could see into his soul. But if he could do that then there wouldn’t be this unspoken thing between them.Keith said nothing, only watching as Lance fumbled with his words. Feeling exposed and vulnerable Lance threw his hands up shouting, “This unspoken thing between us!”





	Unspoken

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BleuSarcelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BleuSarcelle/gifts).



> Happy late birthday Rea!!

 

Lance woke up restless, though ‘waking up’ was probably a generous description. More like tossing and turning for hours in a semblance of sleep.  With a heavy sigh, he flung the thin sheets off of him and got out of bed, the humid air clinging to his skin.

His steps, even after two years in space, automatically follow in the path that he’s taken since he was a child. Feet stepping lightly in certain spots, tiptoeing around others, and one large step at the end of the stairs to avoid all the extra squeaky floorboards. He winced when a small squeak eeked out of an uneven floorboard. Ah, he’s a little rusty.

He took slow, large steps past the couch and a familiar mop of hair. Pausing next to the arm of the twenty-year-old couch he rolled his eyes. He told Keith that it would’ve been fine to take a guest bedroom or even his own. But of course, the stubborn ass had to be weird and sneak down to sleep on the couch with a space wolf-dog as a blanket.

Huffing out a small breath he threaded his fingers through Keith’s bangs, unsticking them from his forehead, before making his way out of the house.

He held his breath as he gently closed the squeaky porch door behind him. Two years and they still haven’t oiled the thing, of course. That obnoxious squeak has been there since he was a kid, of course they wouldn’t. Somehow he found the thought comforting.

Leaning against the wooden railing he looked up at the stars, bright and twinkling in the dark sky. He could easily pick out some of the more famous constellations and a few made up ones he made with his siblings when he was young. He smiled as he found a cluster of stars that looked a little bit like a castle.

He sighed as he remembered the beginning of their space road trip across the universe. No castle, a new—or old—Shiro, and Keith back from the Blades. With them back there was some confusion about who would fly what. He was so sure he would just end up as a passenger in the belly of Blue or Red. So much had changed and yet…

He shook his head. It didn’t matter anymore. It didn’t matter who was flying who. It didn’t matter to Keith back then and it certainly didn’t matter now.

Lance smiled to himself. Somehow that mullet never thought twice about Lance’s position in Voltron. He didn’t even think as they organized what to do on the nearest planet. When they were ready and prepped for the trip he just ordered him to Red like it was natural. Like he never left.

Keith is one of the most oblivious people he knows when it comes to human emotions. He probably didn’t even think about what it meant. Normally things don’t get through his mullet unless it’s really straightforward. Subtext just goes _wheew_ , over his head. Maybe the two-year spiritual journey on a temporal whale did him good.

He was more…relaxed. He didn’t scowl so much and his arms weren’t always crossed. He was quick to smile and didn’t rush into things headfirst anymore. It was like he was a completely new person layered over his old awkward self.

It was weird. _He_ was weird. It was like putting on a favorite shirt only to find it too small. It wasn’t until the planet Upriumix that things clicked back into place.

-

It was in the middle of a battle. A lone Galra troop leftover on the planet, mainly sentries marching over the surface of the small planet, shooting those who were in their way. Of course, Voltron was in the midst of battle but with how the sentries were fighting on the planet and the number of civilians that could be hurt they were fighting without Voltron.

Pidge was in Green, cloaked and carefully using the vines Green shot out in the more open fields to subdue large amounts of sentries. On the ground Hunk and Shiro were in charge of moving the citizens out of the populated areas and took shelter inside of Yellow and Black. The rest of them were on the ground fighting the sentries.

He was operating on autopilot. Stab here, shoot there, his arms and legs moved without even thinking, the training he had done making each blast second nature. He barely noticed the flying of robot limbs around them. A smell similar to burning oil hung in the atmosphere along with an electric charge making the hair on his arms stand on end.

He just turned to see Keith grappling with a sentry, two swords up and blocking its attack. Coming up on his left was another sentry, blaster at the ready. Target locked, Lance brought his bayard up, transforming from a sword to his standard blaster mid-swing. The shot just grazed Keith’s arms in front of his nose, one more shot and the robot pressing on Keith was down.

With both sentries down Lance lowered his arms and grinned, chest heaving and sweat matted to his forehead.

Staggering from the lack of force Keith paused in his fighting to smile back at him. Right before his eyes widened and in one smooth motion his sword shrunk and he flung his knife at him.

Lance, frozen in shock, felt the slight brush of air as the knife slid past his ear with a quiet whoosh before nailing itself in the forehead of a sentry behind him. Heart restarting in his chest he pulled the knife from the sentry before tossing it back to Keith. Only a soft murmur of, “show off” and a smirk were exchanged, as they stood back-to-back, ready to fight the rest of the troop.

-

He definitely considered that time one of their “bonding moments” as Keith eloquently put it.

At the moment it was clear, that even with distance or time, they would still fall back into place.

“Hey,” a sleepy voice yawned. “What’re you doing up?”

Lance looked over his shoulder to see Keith rubbing his eyes as he joined him on the porch. He smiled at his tired friend. “What are you doing up? I thought you were sleeping.”

Keith blearily glared at him, “I _was_ but I heard you and woke up.”

Lance dropped his face in his crossed arms, hiding his smile in the crook of his elbow. The bright moonlight illuminating the backyard made Keith’s eyes more purple than normal. In the light, he could _maybe_ see a slight flush of color across his cheekbones.

Keith shoved Lance’s face down, pressing his face down into the railing. “Just tell me why you’re awake.”

When he felt Keith’s hand leave the top of his head he didn’t immediately sit back up. Merely shrugging as he let his forehead rest against the warm wood. “Just couldn’t sleep. Is that illegal, samurai?”

Rolling his head to the side he could see Keith’s deadpan stare. Meeting his gaze Keith’s face softened into a half-smile. Sighing he looked out at the plants and vegetables growing in the back. “If you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to but… I’m here. You know. If you need it.”

Heart thumping just a little bit harder he stood up and bumped Keith’s shoulder with his own. “I know. Thank you.”

After a moment’s hesitation he dipped his head, the clean smell of Keith’s shampoo filling his senses, his soft hair brushing over his face. Sighing, he fought the urge to get closer. He couldn’t. That would be too weird. He didn’t have the right to press his face into Keith’s nape and breath him in. Instead, he let his breath drift over Keith’s ear, feeling him shiver.

“I’m flyyyyin’ in the black liiioonnn~” he sung with a smirk.

“Oh my god!” Keith shouted before quieting, looking around frantically before punching Lance in the shoulder. He glared at the smirking boy. He pressed his lips together in a tight line but Lance could see the smile he was trying to hide. “Shut the hell up!”

“Aw, come on, Keith. It’s, like, the _one_ blackmail I have on you. I can’t _not_ exploit it.”

“I hate you and you’re never driving with me again.”

Lance laughed softly. Keith was so embarrassed with Lance found out his little secret. It was stupidly cute at the time. Too cute. So he proceeded to tease him mercilessly by singing _everything_ they did for the next week.

“It’s a good memory.” Ignoring Keith’s skeptical look he continued. “We’ve had a lot of good memories. Remember that one time that one bird thing?”

Reluctantly a corner of Keith’s mouth tipped up. “Wasn’t it some sort of rare royal bird or something?”

“Yeah, it only laid an egg, like, once in a thousand something years or something. I never thanked you for helping me hide the evidence back then.”

Keith snorted out a laugh. “I _cannot_ believe—“ he shook his head. “Not a problem, Lance.”

He was quiet for a moment. Relaxed and soft in the warm night air, eyes violet and so, so pretty. His nose crinkled with a laugh. “Remember when Kaltenecker—“

“Oh, yeah! Allura was _so_ mad—“

“I can’t believe you put Kaltenecker in Blue.”

“Hey!” Lance exclaimed, hands on his hips. “It was late and I was tired. I forgot I wasn’t in Blue!”

Keith huffs out a laugh, rolling his eyes at him. His eyes crinkled with amusement and something very, very soft. “She must’ve missed you and called you in your sleep.”

Lance turned fully towards Keith, left side leaning against the railing and head tipping to the side. “Maybe.” He tipped his head down, biting his lip. He took a breath to calm his racing heart before asking, “Hey, do you remember that one planet…”

Keith dipped his head down to his chin, a flush spreading across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He licked his lips before rubbing his thumb against his knuckles. “I do.”

Lance was sure he could hear his heartbeat. He casually rubbed his hands against his sleep shorts. Sweating despite the cooling breeze. “So…. Juyvis?”

Keith swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing. “Yeah. Nice planet.”

“That all?”

“I don’t know, Lance,” Keith turned his head, facing him, eyes wide and searching. “What did you think?”

What _did_ he think? That planet—and what happened—was not that long ago. It was supposed to just be a rest stop but once the planet knew who would be visiting they wanted to throw a celebration.

By that time they worked even closer, trained together, and even hung out together with minimal arguments. Even then, the arguments they got into were less barbed and pointed to something more teasing and fond. They might’ve been the loner and the goofball but they strangely gravitated toward each other. Or maybe not that strange.

Once they fell back into place it was hard to knock them out of their pattern. It was natural as breathing for everyone to split up into groups. Hunk, Pidge, and Romelle, The Adults **TM** , which consisted of Shiro, Allura, Coran, and Krolia. Finally, Keith and Lance, who were usually followed by one of the animals.

Like Pavlov’s dogs once they landed somewhere they all split up into groups of their respective tasks. One day Keith called Lance over and it was that way ever since.

So, with the party in full swing, everyone was dancing at one point. Despite the night trying its absolute best to keep everyone moving, mingling with the locals, trading off partners, Lance always seemed to find himself back at Keith’s side.

-

Lance panted, out of breath and cheeks flushed. That had to be his fifth dance of the night. Lots of stomping and clapping, and the occasional dodging of tails even though that wasn’t part of the traditional dance. His hair stuck to his face with his sweat and he rolled up his T-shirt sleeve to wipe his forehead.

He flopped on the ground where Keith was enjoying the bonfire, taking a break from his own dancing. Lance laid down his elbows propping him up, and head tilted back as he let the slight breeze cool him down.

“Holding up alright?” Keith asked, amusement coloring his voice as he passed over a water pouch.

Lance sucked it down until it puckered in his hand, the straw making an obnoxious slurping sound. “You don’t know the half of it. I’m all danced out Keith. Done. Finito. Finished.” He flopped down arms splaying until he resembled a starfish. “Leave my corpse here for the vultures.”

Keith scoffed. With a barely-there smile, he took the crumpled water pouch from Lance’s hand, grazing his palm. “There _aren’t_ any vultures here.”

“Then whatever alien equivalent of vultures there are, Keith. Come on, man, work with me.”

Keith simply rolled his eyes at him. “So is this just a break or are you done for the night?”

Lance watched how the fire’s light flickered over Keith’s face, highlighting the arch of his nose, the softness of his skin, and making the violet of his eyes look a deeper amethyst.

“I don’t know, I could be persuaded if it was the right person,” Lance teased, a suggestive tone in his voice. “Otherwise you’re stuck with me for the night.”

Wrapping his arms around his knees, cheek squished against his arms, his bangs all fluffed up, and a soft smile on his face, it made Lance’s heart trip and fall. He had a look on his face that reminded Lance of the looks exchanged between his parents. “I _guess_ if you’re not too much trouble.”

Lance felt his face heat, and it wasn’t from the fire. Swallowing against the hard lump in his throat he looked away. Laying his head back down he dared another look to see Keith watching the fire again, cheeks and ears red. Wetting his bottom lip Lance watched how the fire’s light played over Keith’s face. He had a soft smile on his face as he watched the team dance and stomp around the fire. He had his hair up and his cheeks were rosy from the fire.

Lance felt his heart beat faster in a rhythm that’s all too familiar. Over the past few weeks it’s taken up home in his chest. Unsure but not all unwelcome. It was a strangely addicting feeling.

Sometimes he thought it wasn’t all him either. There was a look or a smile and it only made his heart race faster.

Biting his lip he inched his hand over to poke at Keith’s with a pinky. Keith looked over to where Lance was stroking his skin, eyes sliding over to peek over at him. Looking back at their hands he slid his fingers over Lance’s—

“Blue paladin!” a local exclaimed, ears and reptilian tail twitching in excitement. They twirled in place clapping to the beat before offering a clawed hand to him. “Would you please dance with me?”

“Oh!” Lance darted a look to Keith before turning his attention to the Juyvis. “Uh—“

He stuttered to a stop when fingers were threaded with his own, holding his hand firmly. Looking over he could see Keith casually resting his chin in his palm as he stared into the fire. Smiling he tightened his hold on Keith’s hand, watching how subtly Keith’s eyes smiled when he did.

“I’m a little tired,” he said to the Juyvis, smiling apologetically. “I think I’ll just hang out here for now.”

Nodding in understanding they threw themselves back into the fray with a little trill.

The stars were bright and the fire was warm. Around them people and paladins celebrated, dancing and clapping adding to the rhythm of the music that filled their ears and snuck under their skin.  Heart dancing to the music around them Lance held Keith’s hand.

-

“Well,” Lance hedged, “I think…we never talked.”

Keith bit his lip and turned to face him, brows creased in concentration and arms crossed. “What was there to talk about?”

“I’m not sure… a lot of stuff?” He could feel Keith’s gaze on him, watching him so intently that Lance was sure he could see into his soul. But if he could do that then there wouldn’t be this _unspoken_ thing between them.

Keith said nothing, only watching as Lance fumbled with his words. Feeling exposed and vulnerable Lance threw his hands up shouting, “This unspoken thing between us!”

Lance’s mouth pursed in frustration, cheeks on fire, and he absolutely _refused_ to look at Keith because he would just fling himself off the porch if he did. “I don’t know, Keith. I’ve always thought there might’ve been something between us, right? I wasn’t imagining it? Ever since you got back from the BOM and training and the bird and Juyvis—I don’t know! But I feel like I’m living in limbo!’” He pushed his hands through his hair, tuffs standing up in the summer heat. He sighed, hands dropping to his sides. “So, please, just tell me?”

Finally, he looked up. Keith was standing there, arms still crossed but relaxed, open. His eyes were wide and so bright and beautiful, taking in the moonlight and reflecting it back at him.

Keith stepped forward, not too fast to startle but not too slow for Lance to second-guess himself. Standing right in front of him, staring into his very being Keith wrapped a hand around the back of his head. Fingers threading through his mussed hair Keith tilted his head forward until he was a hairsbreadth away, warm breath fanning across his lips.

“There’s no unspoken thing.”

And he kissed him.


End file.
